Interpolic

And get trounced by Man City every time we play them, if we're cherry picking.

I personally just think it's a high stakes game for him so wouldn't be surprised if we win. Would be shocked if it wasn't eye-bleedingly awful either way though.

The Cabella thing this season's been appalling as well, unceremoniously dropped after a handful of games rarely to be seen again in favour of largely ineffectual replacements. Finally cobbling together his NUFC career a bit again now, but on the back foot already due to perceived laziness/softness versus perceived graft/brute. Because of a few games at the start getting used to the league. It was so familiar yet almost as infuriating. Takes the piss.

I think we'll sneak it 1-0 and mixed emotions will ensue. A win will be what Carver would hang his hat on, it's the game of his life. This could earn him millions.

TAYLOR! Get the Paul Once avatar.

Once Sports Direct hit the straight and narrow he'll stick the lot on full time contracts man, pipe down.

I agree. I just don't think that's how he will see it, or he would have started doing it already. Paying off his £29m first would back you up. What reason was there for him to repay that beyond a stubborn principle that he had said he wasn't putting any more in after the Keegan affair? I think he'll stick to that though and stop repayments with the £29m satisfied. Why? It's an assumption as I said. I'm far more likely to believe he'll start pumping excess cash into anything but the playing squad unless we find ourselves in danger again. I firmly believe that they want us to actively avoid cup runs and European qualification in favour of the bare minimum that guarantees a place on the Premier League gravy train. Based on 7 years or so of evidence, and reading their bullshit about 5 year plans to become the next Arsenal or Villa or whoever suited them at the time. I understand that you think you've spotted a trend and am always interested to read an argument that is built on solid analytical grounding, but in this case I don't think your guess is better than mine or anyone else's. Who's to say he won't start using excess cash after the initial loan is paid off to pay off the remainder of his loan or do whatever he likes with it for that matter? Not you, not me, not anyone but the fat, evil, unpredictable cunt that's done whatever he likes since he stepped through the door. Assume the best all you like, but forgive me for assuming the worst. PS you said that this financial trend you'd spotted was the reason you had no doubt we'd appoint the best candidate as manager, so I'll be interested to hear what you have to say if Carver gets the gig full time or we go into next season with Mike fucking Williamson making 30-plus appearances a season.

It seems a bit misleading to say the gross spend is going up each year while leaving out 2014. In summer 2014 we had to spend a certain chunk of money just to stand still (or arguably go backwards) due to a refusal to spend for 2 consecutive transfer windows. If you split that gross spend over 2 years which would make far more logical sense then it equates to £18.7m per year. Also I'm not sure why you're assuming Ashley will not pay back any of the debt owed to him and all spare cash can be spent from now on, it seems a bit of a leap as far as assumptions go. In reality I think you're guessing like anyone else.

I've heard it plenty of times at SJP the last 20 years in a flippant manner, people calling Shola a darky for a cheap laugh from some. It's annoying but some people are idiots.

Can you not rank every player that's ever lived for the avoidance of any doubt? Might keep you occupied (ahem, i.e. quiet) for a few weeks at least.

Could have been talking about Arsenal tbf, since he was getting wound up about the loss.

It's the constant posturing with other clubs over a few quid then deciding to go without that pisses me off the most. The club's such a waste of time.

It's one of them really annoying things people down here say when they hear your accent and think they can get away with treating you like their pet geordie.

It was yet another brash move by a man always wanting to show how big and clever he is. Wouldn't be surprised if there are no clauses.

He's not bright or strong enough to deal with his life as it is now, on any level. Short of sectioning him there's not much that people can do, it's inevitable that there will always be scumbags knocking about who encourage his drinking and/or take advantage of his plight but that's life.

You are becoming a voice in the wilderness my friend - just like many others on here. Hardly, almost everyone on here is a manic depressive these days. Straight after one of our better 45 minute performances since we got promoted is a strange time for a rant though. Everything's still shite, obviously.

High expectations. Watching that shite every week for 4 years. Fuck off, you tit.

Scholes is one of the greatest English players of all time. Carrick clearly isn't, as much as I'm biased towards him in a sense because he's from Wallsend.

People are mainly discussing the media wankfest around him and that they can't wait for it to unravel. Not really much of an obsession or owt else going on tbh.

It's not even that active, he's just left the club after 4 mostly miserable years when we never thought he'd leave. People going on about too much discussion about certain topics or that they should be locked is beyond tedious. Read the threads you want to read.

He's clearly worthy of discussion like.

This was a bit different IMO, we had them on the ropes for 45 minutes and played some canny stuff. Aye it's still clearly nowt to shout about in reality but was nice to see. Most games are a non-event if they're not an absolute humiliation and it's been that way for years.

We played really well second half and it's not often you can say that. Result or no result, for the first time in ages I didn't feel like I was wasting my time watching it. We attacked a decent team for 45 minutes and deserved more from the game than we got. Shame about the first half obviously, but we can't defend.